True Love Series 1: True Love's Strength
by r2roswell
Summary: Emma tries to use true love's kiss but what happens when it fails?
1. Death Befalls Us

Summary: Based off of the prompt 'Neal or Emma Saves the Other with True Loves Kiss' from _nealandemmaprompts_ on tumblr

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**1. Death Befalls Us**

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"Neal," Emma said shaking his body. "Neal wake up! You can't die on me, do you hear me, wake up damn it!"

Emma then thought for a moment and an idea came to her.

Looking down at Neal she lowered her head and gently placed a kiss on his lips. She lifted and centered her eyes on him. There was no rainbow pulse and wave of wind. Emma looked down and lowered her lips to his again. Still nothing.

"It should be working," said Emma. "Why isn't it working?"

"His wounds are too severe," a weak Regina said propping herself to sit upward, her own body weakend and bruised. "He can't be saved," Regina said to her.

Emma looked at Regina with deep hatred. The two had always had problems but this was the first time Emma had looked at her with a hatred that went far beyond anything else.

If it hadn't been for her and her mother's issues none of this would have happened.

"Shut up!" Emma said to her.

"I'm just-,"

"Stop talking," Emma yelled. She then looked down at Neal. "He's going to be fine. You're going to be fine just hang in there baby. You're going to be fine I promise."

Emma placed a third kiss on his lips but still there was no change.

"Neal, you son of a bitch," were the last words Emma Swan whispered as she crouched down.

Forcing back tears Emma gathered what strength she could and lifted Neal in her arms. It was not easy to carry an over one hundred eighty pound man, nearly impossible but Emma did not care. She let the magic within her give her the strength she needed. The magic became her extra set of muscles and made lifting Neal feel like nothing.

Regina, who was sitting up to the side, her face bruised and bloodied, reached out for the blonde woman, "Emma I am so-,"

"Save it!" Emma said through her teeth not bothering to look at Regina.

She had the strength to carry Neal but she did not have the strength to deal with the woman who had brought this on all of them.

Emma walked out of the library entrance, or what was left of the library anyways. The battle that had raged on below in the cave had been so strong that it crumbled the outside. The clock tower was no more.


	2. Going for Help!

**2. Going for Help**

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"Emma!" Snow called as she ran out of Granny's diner with David close behind the second she saw her daughter.

"Mom, Dad," Henry called out as he followed them.

"Henry!" Ruby said holding onto him. He struggled trying to escape Ruby's grasp but she held him tighter.

Though she had come to accept the wolf thing tonight she was actually grateful for the added strength. Had she not had it she would've had to call Leroy or someone else to help subdue the boy.

Emma ignored her family and continued on walking. There was only one place that she wanted to be right now.

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As she entered Gold's shop she ignored the man and went to the back room placing Neal on the bed.

She turned to Gold who had followed her in the room along with her family.

"I don't care what you have to do, you do it. You save him!"

"Have you tried true love's kiss?"

"It failed so try something else."

"I'm afraid then that I can't help you. He's not under a sleeping curse."

"I don't care! He's your son so you find a way!"

Gold looked at Emma in shock. "You've lost me Miss Swan."

Emma looked up to meet Gold's gaze. "He's your son," Emma said through her teeth.

Gold's breathing started to race, "But you told me your mission failed. You told me that you couldn't find Baelfire."

"I had my reasons for lying to you and so did he."

"Well they better be damn good ones," said Gold.

Emma crossed her arms, "I all ready have to contend with the fact that the Evil Queen is my son's adoptive mother. Can you blame me for not wanting to accept that my son is the grandson of the Dark One too? As for his reasoning, he tried to get you to give up your power. He was willing to sacrifice your world for a world without magic just to be with you but you couldn't even do that could you? Power was more important than your son."

"Don't question my loyalty Miss Swan," Gold said though he knew she was more than correct.

"Are you going to help me or not?"

Gold walked over to where Neal was placed. He ran a hand through Neal's hair.

"Bae," he said as a tear ran down his cheek.

"Heal him!" Emma said as her patience began to wear thin.

With the help of his cane, Gold stood up and turned to face Emma. "I'm sorry Miss Swan but I can't."

"What do you mean you can't?"

"There are some things that not even I can accomplish. I cannot bring back the dead and I can't return a heart that has been taken. And even if I could love from me wouldn't be enough. We didn't leave things on good terms as I'm sure you're quite aware."

"He's in there, I know it, I felt him so bring him back."

"Emma," Snow said sounding confused.

"What do you mean you felt him," Gold asked.

"I'm not sure I just know he's still alive, somehow."

"You love my son don't you," asked Gold.

Emma looked at him. "Yes."

"Have you told him that?"

"No, he doesn't know."

Gold smiled as a new realization hit. "Then I can't help him but you can."

"How?" Emma asked crossing her arms.

"Tell him."

"But I told you true love's kiss didn't work."

"Sometimes there's more to love than a simple kiss dearie. You can do this. You're the only one who can."

Emma looked at her parents, then to Gold and finally settling her eyes on Neal.

"This better work," she said to no one in particular.


	3. True Love's Strength

**3. True Love's Strength**

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"Mom," Henry said rushing into the back room of Gold's shop.

Emma turned and saw Ruby and Henry enter.

"Sorry," Ruby said apologetically. "Kid is a lot stronger than I gave him credit for."

Emma couldn't bring herself to say anything.

"Is he going to be okay?" Henry asked.

Again no answer from Emma; she turned back to Neal. She had to focus now. Gold had told her she was the only one who could bring him back even if true love's kiss had failed her before.

Snow wrapped her arms around her grandson as the five of them waited for Emma.

Emma got on her knees next to Neal. She took one of his hands and held it.

"He says I can save you," Emma said as she began speaking to the corpse, "but I don't know how. True love's kiss didn't work but I know you're in there. I can feel it. I've never felt anything this strong before. If you were gone I'd know that. I can't tell you how. I just hope you can hear me. Follow my voice back please Neal. We have a family. Your son needs you. Don't abandon him the way you abandon me, please."

Emma looked at Neal and tears began to stream down her face.

"I'm sorry baby. I held on to my anger for so long. I thought we'd have more time to figure things out as if ten years wasn't enough time. I'm not angry though, not anymore. I stopped being angry weeks ago. I just couldn't accept the fact that after all this time you still wanted me. I want you too Neal so please come back." Emma leaned over Neal and whispered into his ear. "Tallahassee, remember? You promised." She then caressed his face. "I love you, I need you. Come back to me baby."

Knowing that true love's kiss had failed her before, still Emma felt the dire need to try again. She kissed his lips softly and then with more force, much deeper, and more passion.

A rainbow pulse echoed through the room, a wave of wind to go with it. And then a second rainbow erupted this time though covering Neal's body beginning at his head and making its way down to his toes.

"What's going on," Emma said out loud though she knew full well what was happening.

There was magic in the works, a kind of magic that was new to Emma. She had seen the power of true love's kiss before, she herself had used it once before to save Henry but this magic was different. It was different than compared to other true love kisses and different than her own personal magic that she had come to harness.

The rainbow engulfed Neal, waves of it spinning across each direction of his body.

"It's healing him," Henry said speaking out the words that no one was willing to acknowledge.

And sure enough the kid was right. The magic was healing him. The proof was evident on the bruises and wounds that had been inflicted on Neal.

Emma turned her head to the side and for the first time since the day before when she had said goodbye to Henry before going with Regina to fight Cora, she smiled.

Whatever magic was at work was healing Neal from the inside as well as Emma began to feel the pulsing of a new heart and yet a heart that seemed to belong to Neal all the same.

The six of them continued to wait.

The rainbow dissipated and Neal sucked in a deep helping of air that filled his lungs.

"Neal?" Emma asked.

His eyes opened and turned to the side. A smile formed on his face.

"Emma," he said with a grateful sigh.

Tears flowed down Emma's face as she went in to kiss him, bringing him into a sitting position. The two released each other from the kiss and held each other instead.

"You brought me back," said Neal. "I heard your voice and I followed it. You saved me."

"Did you ever doubt that I would?"

"Honestly, no." Neal let himself go from the embrace to look at Emma. He took her cheek in his hand. "I always knew you loved me."

Emma laughed, "I'm sorry for waiting so long."

"Better late than never," he said with a smile.

Henry ran out of his grandmother's arms. "Dad!" he said running over to hug him.

"Hey kid," Neal said to him. "I'm okay I promise."

"I was scare for you," said Henry. He then looked to his mom, "the both of you."

"I know kid," said Emma. "I'm sorry." She rubbed Henry on the back, "But you don't have to be scared anymore I promise."

The three of them heard the tapping of Gold's cane. "So Cora is gone," he asked.

Emma stood up along with Neal, him wrapping his arms around her while Henry stood to Emma's left, wrapped in her arms.

"Worse," said Emma, "We stripped her of her powers. She's mortal. And we made sure there will never be a way of getting them again."

Gold took a step forward. "Bae," he said with a smile.

Neal looked at Gold.

"Father," Neal said acknowledging the man for the first time. He then took a deep breath. "I'll come to you when I'm ready."

Gold nodded feeling satisfied that he would get the reunion he had long desired.

Neal continued to look at Gold, "Today's not that day." He then looked at Emma. "Let's go home," he said to his family.

Neal side stepped around Gold and made his way to the exit, Emma's parents and Ruby behind them as they left the shop.

Gold stood there watching them and all he could do was watch. He supposed he could wait for his son as long as he had to. The important thing now was that his son was alive and so he had been given a second chance.

But it was not his love that had awoken him so the second chance was not for him, at least not yet.

Emma Swan had been the one to wake up Neal. A love so powerful that it broke all rules of traditional true love and went beyond the true love potion that Gold had long ago created. What Emma had done could not be bottled and more importantly it could never be replicated.

She was one of a kind and his son had an invaluable asset on his hands if only he realized, if only he could see the power and use it but that was not Bae's way. The love he had for the savior was truer than anything Gold had ever witnessed, next to Emma's parents. And so for that reason alone he knew Emma could not be touched. Destroying her would mean destroying his son and he was not willing to risk that again.

Emma and Neal would be happy. Gold owed them that much.

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**~End~**


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